5. Three Case Studies
5.2 Chamber Music – The First Movement of Sonata Brilliant op.15
Chamber music was a part of private musical discourse at the turn of the 19th century. As it was discussed in section 3.3; sonatas, string quartets, duets and accompanied vocal music are genres essentially encountered in salons and private home gatherings. In section 4.1.1, the qualities of the chamber music are discussed further, and it is shown that within the genre, music could be either composed specifically for chamber ensembles, or music could be transcribed for chamber
ensembles from a symphonic or operatic work (Sutcliffe 2014, 121). The music composed originally for chamber ensembles usually adopts the topical universe from the public musical discourse but uses a wider range of expression; a bigger collection of topics, often combining them from different dignities and, generally, departing from the expected procedures one could expect in a more public work (Sutcliffe 2014, 121, 138). However, it is also possible, that the work mimicked music performed in the public and thus followed the portrayal of topics, form and expression
common in the public musical discourse. Besides these, the genre of transcriptions is its own entity, suited for perhaps reliving the experiences one had in opera or concert hall but now at home
(Sutcliffe 2914, 121). Private musical discourse was also reflected in late 18th century writings on the sonata and symphonic style, where the sonata style was essentially encountered in private music.
Giuliani's Sonata brilliant op. 15 from 1808 falls under the category of music composed specifically for chamber music genre, and it seems to be leaning more towards the sonata style than the symphonic style. It mainly uses topics of middle and high stylistic associations and is a work that employs musical ideas, which lean more towards the serious end of the stylistic spectrum. It is one of Giuliani's most well-known compositions along with the first guitar concerto op.30, grand overture op.61 and Gran sonata eroica op.150. Surprisingly, along with the songs listed above and addition of a few other works, it is one of the few of Giuliani's compositions using the sonata-form.
While it was not uncommon for a solo sonata to be performed in a public concert, it is
essentially a chamber music genre. Also, in the case of Giuliani's op. 15, no remark from a public performance exists in the list of performances compiled by Heck or Morrow. With the current information, we can assume that the Sonata brilliant op. 15 is a work intended to be performed in private gatherings.
The work is dedicated to Mademoiselle Josephine Edlen von Maillard. Dedications to different nobles were still common in the early 19th century, as composer’s income was widely dependent on the support of the aristocracy. Probably op. 15 was first performed at some private gathering of von Maillard’s family. One can purely speculate, whether the relative seriousness of sonata op. 15 has anything to do with the aristocratic patronage he received during that time. At least DeNora’s remarks on aristocracy supporting serious art, discussed in section 2.2, could imply that members of the aristocracy, perhaps also von Maillard, favored music for more refined-taste.
The choice of key in Giuliani's sonata is interesting in relation to the instrumentation. While the key of C-major is certainly not the most un-guitaristic, it is not particularly suitable for virtuosic playing, as the C-major chord omits the player from using open strings on the bass when playing in the tonic, thus preventing the full potential of using high registers for brilliance. Thus, the
motivation for the choice of key could be linked to the character and stylistic associations of the work.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was common to asset expressional values to different keys.
Common way to identify the expressional meanings of different keys among many theorists of the time was to use a method called sharp-flat principle. In the sharp-flat principle, the more sharps are in the key, the sharper and brighter the passion and similarly the more flats are in the key, the darker, pathetic and tender the passion tended to be. According to this principle, the C-major is the center of the expressional spectrum, and it was often described as pure, naive, noble, majestic and frank (Steblin 1983, 96-104). C-major is connected to the frequent usage of the military and march topics, which are topics in the higher end of the stylistic spectrum (Galand 2014, 462). While the definitions of key characteristics originated at the time when unequal temperaments were still common, the discussion of key characteristics continued into late 18th and early 19th centuries even though the use of unequal temperaments was already falling out of fashion. In late 18th and early 19th century discussions about the subject, the qualities of the instruments became an important factor in determining the expressive qualities of keys (Steblin 1983, 129). Commonly, the characteristics of the keys were identified through the timbre of string instruments. For example, Koch argues that keys involving lots of open strings, such as the A-major, were more suitable for intense and joyful expression and keys that involved more stopped strings, such as the f-minor were suitable are suitable for sorrowful and lament passions (Steblin 1983, 129-130).
I think the qualities assessed for string instruments come essentially from the sound they produce and how easy they are to play. While the guitar is tuned differently than a violin, for
example, similar guidelines apply to playability. Keys such as A-major and E-major give a player a possibility to use low open strings for essential scale degrees. Especially the A-major gives the player the opportunity to use low bass notes for I and V degrees and at the same time play melodic lines from a high, brilliant register. The constant use of open strings gives the guitar a more
sustained sound compared to the keys that imply a heavy use of stopped strings. The C-major seems to fall somewhere on the middle in terms of playability. As was said before, it is a relatively easy key to play in, but the most fundamental harmony, the tonic, is not as easy to achieve in the brilliant register as, for example, in A-major. This gives the key a slightly restrained character.
The topical material in sonata op. 15 generally moves between the Galant middle-style (for example, singing allegro, singing style) and topics embracing the higher end of the dignity
spectrum, such as the military fanfare or the march (high comic) and the marked minor topic
tempesta (tragic). Topics of low-dignities are mostly absent from this work. Topics originating from the military are used somewhat regularly in the work, and since the key of C-major was
conventionally used when such topics dominated the music, this could partially explain Giuliani’s choice for using that key.
The choice of an unsuitable key for virtuosic purposes, topical realm ranging from middle to high styles, and perhaps also the choice of using the sonata form instead of pot-pourri-structures quite common in Giuliani's other works could indicate that the sonata brilliant op. 15 is a work intended for an audience of serious music, common in musical societies and aristocratic salons in the early 19th century.
The general form of the first movement of Giuliani's sonata uses the so-called textbook-model of a sonata form, identified as the type 3 sonata in Hepokoski & Darcy's Sonata Theory (Hepokoski & Darcy, 17). It has a fairly clearly articulated action-spaces and the form is easy to grasp on. Figure 5.7 presents the general schema of the structure’s movement.
The Primary Theme zone, mm. 1-16 (Figure 5.8), marked here as P, starts off with two 2+4 measure phrases, in which the first ends on I:HC and the second one on a I:PAC. This constitutes a standard parallel period-structure, where mm. 1-6 form the antecedent and mm. 7-12 the
consequent. The topic in mm. 1-12 is singing allegro, with a hint of learned style in measure 5, where a small imitative interplay between the upper and lower voices occur. In the I:HC of measure 6, a horn fifth gesture is also implied, hinting of the fanfare topic. After I:PAC in measure 12, a post-cadential figure n mm. 12-16 appears and further establishes the tonic. The topic here is a briskly fanfare played in F-dynamic. The I:PAC in measure 16 closes the P.
In measure 17, a charming dolce-figure, which implements appoggiaturas that resemble the Seufzer motive, starts the transition (TR). This figure seems to imply the sensibility-topic and it prolongs the tonic in mm. 17-18 but is mixed with march-like gestures in mm. 19-20, where the
Figure 5.7 - The structure of Giuliani's op.15, 1st movement
first inversion of the dominant seventh chord is emphasized. In measure 21, the singing allegro-topic
In measure 21, the singing allegro topic returns, only to be interrupted with a sudden shift in harmonies in mm. 22-25, which are quite dramatic and are used to gain a sudden energy boost in preparation for the V:HC appearing in measure 26.
On the beginning of measure 26, a dominant lock for the V:HC appears but it does not start immediately in F-dynamic. Here Giuliani does not immediately fulfill the anticipation, which was built in mm. 22-25. One would expect the music move to a F-dynamic in measure 2,6 but instead the music turns suddenly into p-dynamic and the crescendo towards the F-dynamic lasts two measures, thus delivering the desired expressional state only in measure 28. The topic over the dominant lock is tempesta, which often correlates with the tragic expression. In measure 30 the dominant lock ends on the MC and this ends the TR. This is followed by a recitative-like melodic line in mm.30-33, which structurally works as a fill or lead in to S. The recitative-melody uses the Seufzer-figure in a similar manner as in mm. 17-18, which hints at the usage of sensibility topic. In Hepokoski & Darcy’s theory, this kind of filling MC or other significant caesuras with melodic material is identified as a caesura-fill, which represents energy-loss after the energy-gain of the TR (Hepokoski & Darcy 2006, 34).
S starts in measure 34 in the tonic of V (G-major) (Figure 5.9). The topic is the singing style with dolce expression. Like P, S also is built around a parallel-period type of structure, where mm.
34-42 act as an antecedent, ending on V:HC and mm. 42-51 as consequent, ending on V:PAC. At the end of the consequent, in mm. 48-51, an energy-gain towards a V:PAC is realized. The PAC in measure 51 also acts as an EEC since it is the first satisfactory V:PAC in the key of V. The energy-gain of mm. 48-51 is built around the abrupt shift from p to F and the change of register from mid- to high. After the EEC of measure 51, S ends and C begins.
The C begins in brilliant style in measure 51 (Figure 5.10). The brilliant style is paired with singing allegro (in mm. 51-58) in a way that the music is ascending the G-major scale during the brilliant style and descending during the singing allegro. The ascending movement is done on the top of the tonic and the descending movement on the top of the dominant. From measure 57 onwards, the singing allegro continues until measure 61 where the texture switches a moment of sustained harmonies, which could be identified as the learned style. This lasts for two measures and leads to an ascending line in sensibility topic in measure 63, which leads to a cadential figure in the brilliant style, ending on V:PAC in measure 65. This ends the first part of the C.
The V:PAC in measure 65 was hardly satisfactory as an ending gesture since the harmonic progression V: I6 – II6 – V64 – 53 – I was in the middle register and the concluding I is not a full chord. Also, the combination of brilliant style and the singing allegro in C1 does not create a sense of closure, as the intensity is constantly broken by the dolce-singing allegro- expressions.
Additionally, the brilliant style does not delve into the heights of utter brilliance in its ascending G-major figure, since the register of the melodic material only ranges between sounding G3 and G4.
Figure 5.8 – P and TR of the first movement of Sonate brilliant op. 15, mm. 1-33
Figure 5.9 – S and beginning of C, mm. 34-52
At the upbeat of measure 65, the second part of the C begins. After the cadence in measure 65, a momentary loss of energy occurs due to the dynamics descending back to p from F. The forte dynamic is achieved back in measure 67, which is followed by a march-like gesture. The material of C2 is somewhat fragmentary in comparison to C1. In mm. 51-65, the music was in a constant motion. In C2, from measure 65 to 77, the progression towards a satisfying V:PAC is built up using small phrases, with pauses or small melodic lead-in’s in-between them. This interrupts the sense of
Figure 5.10 – C mm. 50-84
continuity and makes the second part of C almost feel like a coda or a new beginning reflecting on the new tonic of G-major. However, since the PAC in measure 65 seemed rhetorically unsatisfying closing figure, I have interpreted mm. 65-77 as a continuation of C, especially, since the
fanfare/march topic in mm. 73-78 sounds like the proper final cadence of the exposition. This view is also supported by the fact, that after C2, an actual coda in the form of a retransitional fill-in appears before the reprise.
The material in mm. 78- 84 acts as an energy loss-sequence and destabilizes the achieved G-major, preparing the listener for either going back to P for the first time or moving towards the development section for the second time. This is something that Hepokoski & Darcy recognize as a retransition at the end of C (Hepokoski & Darcy 2006, 191).
Before discussing the development and recapitulation, an overall look on the expressive narrative of the exposition should take place. Figure 5.10 shows two different aspects on which this narrative could be inspected on. The upper schema shows the range of stylistic associations the different topics in the exposition represent. I have divided the associations into three broad categories: the high- middle- and low-styles. In addition, I have used Hatten’s expressive
correlations to these styles. Thus, the middle style represents the galant style, low style the buffa style, and the high style, which is either the high comic or the tragic style. As it can be seen in the upper figure, the material emphasizes middle- and high stylistic associations. Based on the stylistic associations of topics identified in section 4.1.1, I can assume that the singing style and singing allegro mainly relate to the middle-style and galant expressive state, whereas the fanfare and march, depending on the context, ranges from the middle-style to the high comical style. This is due to the fanfare and the march always being more or less based on ceremonial music, which through the social context of the establishment places them into a higher style. The fanfare-topic often acts as a signal for something to begin (see for example Caplin 2014, 416t), and in this exposition it seems to signal the arrival to the PAC. This occurs both an the end of P and an the end of C. The tempesta topic originates from the opera seria and represents the high style and is marked by its tragic
expressional state. In the exposition, it is also marked as an expressional opposite to the surrounding music. Additionally, it is structurally important, since the V:HC is established during the tempest topic.
The lower figure shows the expressional intensity or activity of the exposition. I have based the levels of intensity on harmonic movement, dynamic and texture. The figure shows that for example the marked tempesta topic, and the preceding singing allegro’s transition to it, represents the most intense part of the whole exposition. This seems to correlate with the tempesta topic’s stormy affections. Topics associating with the middle style and galant expressions are represented by the singing allegro and the singing style and sensibility. The singing allegro, with more active harmonic activity than the singing style, often occurs in more intense or active places. Overall, the
Figure 5.11 – Mapping of styles/expressions and intensity/activity in the exposition
growth of intensity seems to correlate with the important points of the exposition. These points are either smaller closing or starting figures of a phrase (for example the end of P, mm. 12-16) or take place during structural turning points (the arrival to EEC in measure 51 or the dominant lock of V:HC in mm. 26-30).
As it was said before, Giuliani’s sonata is primarily based on the chamber music-like treat-ment of materials and the sonata style. This is evident, for example, in how the intensification of texture in mm. 21-25 does not immediately lead to FF-textures in measure 26. Instead the music goes suddenly to p-dynamic and builds to the intensity through crescendo. Another place that avoids conventions of orchestral music is C. Instead of continuous cycles of PAC’s, as closing zone’s often do, Giuliani builds only the first part of C like this. The second part is fragmentary, marked with small pauses or lead-ins between the phrases. The topical interplay between singing allegro and the slightly tuned down brilliant style does not wake up allusions for full tutti textures, which are com-monly encountered in symphonic music at a similar structural point.
The development space (Figure 5.12) starts in measure 84 after the retransitory phase at the end of C. The development section is divided into 3 parts: part 1- mm. 84-94, part 2 – mm. 95-114, part 3 – mm. 114 – 129. The development is mainly in the key of a-minor (vi), with a quick depar-ture to A-major (VI) in the second section of part 2. The development section ends in a Vi:HC in measure 129, which is followed by a brief retransition over I:HC in mm. 130 – 133.
The development space uses new thematic material and does not follow the convention of revisiting the thematic material of the exposition in a new context. In the Sonata Theory, this is con-sidered a deformation from the common rotational principle. The rotation is one key concepts of the Sonata Theory. It means that the thematic material of the exposition is considered a referential ro-tation, and the sections that follow it are new rotations that revisit that material either partly (com-mon in development sections) or fully (com(com-mon in recapitulation) (Hepokoski & Darcy 2006, 16-20). In the development space of op. 15, no such things happen and it needs to be considered a non-rotational development space. However, in harmonic structure, the op. 15 follows conventional choices. In a major mode Type 3 sonata, switching the tonal center to the relative minor in the de-velopment space is one of the most common options (Hepokoski & Darcy 2006, 19).
The development space utilizes mainly topics that have their origins in opera. It begins with an intense tempesta-phase (mm. 84-94), which constitutes the whole 1st part of the section. Part 1 acts as an introduction to the development using prolonged Vi:HC over a dominant pedal, which only resolves in part 2 of the development space. The tragic expression is heavily marked in part 1, and the section is the most intensive moment of the whole work. Part 1 ends in E-major chord (Vi:HC) in high register in measure 94. This is followed by a marked pause at the second half of the
The development space utilizes mainly topics that have their origins in opera. It begins with an intense tempesta-phase (mm. 84-94), which constitutes the whole 1st part of the section. Part 1 acts as an introduction to the development using prolonged Vi:HC over a dominant pedal, which only resolves in part 2 of the development space. The tragic expression is heavily marked in part 1, and the section is the most intensive moment of the whole work. Part 1 ends in E-major chord (Vi:HC) in high register in measure 94. This is followed by a marked pause at the second half of the